EPG Wealth Management LLC Lowers Stock Position in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

EPG Wealth Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 5.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,240 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 65 shares during the period. EPG Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $368,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in American Express during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of American Express during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Curio Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in American Express during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $40,000. 84.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Express Stock Up 0.3 %

American Express stock opened at $276.26 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $193.54 billion, a PE ratio of 19.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.58. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $263.38 and a 200 day moving average of $286.82. American Express has a one year low of $220.43 and a one year high of $326.28.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The payment services company reported $3.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.47 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $16.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.04 billion. American Express had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 32.65%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.33 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that American Express will post 15.33 EPS for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 4th will be given a dividend of $0.82 per share. This is an increase from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 4th. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.19%. American Express’s payout ratio is presently 22.91%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AXP has been the topic of several analyst reports. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a report on Monday, April 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of American Express from $350.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of American Express from $320.00 to $300.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 24th. HSBC lifted their target price on shares of American Express from $270.00 to $294.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of American Express from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $295.05.

Insider Transactions at American Express

In other news, Director Michael J. Angelakis purchased 3,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $269.89 per share, for a total transaction of $998,593.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,700 shares in the company, valued at $998,593. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Howard Grosfield sold 9,450 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.50, for a total transaction of $2,603,475.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 9,402 shares in the company, valued at $2,590,251. The trade was a 50.13 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

American Express Profile

American Express Company, together with its subsidiaries, operates as integrated payments company in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the Asia Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, Canada, the Caribbean, and Internationally. It operates through four segments: U.S. Consumer Services, Commercial Services, International Card Services, and Global Merchant and Network Services.